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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · march · bat · bass · file · can · deal · stick

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. can — a tin
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a tool
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. can — a tin
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. can — to be able to

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com